Kiara giggles, giving Val’s arm a squeeze. “Oh, stop! And even if I were into both femmes and mascs, you know you’re irreplaceable to me. There’s no one else in the entire universe I’d rather date than you.”

“I’m kidding,” Val says, giving her a peck on the cheek. “Same here.”

Suddenly feeling very painfully single, I stare up at the overhead menu.

Since I’m not in my early twenties anymore, I usually try to choose the healthier options, like the salads or veggie wraps. But today, I’m famished. And I need a little pick-me-up. My stomach is already growling from the rich smells of sweetly marinated beef permeating the air, so I decide on the Texas barbecue sandwich.

“Didn’t you say you dated a photographer in college once?” Val suddenly asks me then. “Your ‘the one who got away’?”

Kiara gasps. “Ooh, yeah! The roommate who made you realize you’re not straight, right?”

“Yup,” I reply with a sigh. “But it’s probably not her. She broke up with me and moved back to Seoul during the winter break of our senior year without telling me why.”

“Damn,” says Val. “How long were you guys together?”

“A little over a year,” I reply. “From fall quarter of junior year to the winter break of senior.”

I’ve tried my best to talk about Celeste very minimally with my friends over the last several years, since (1) it’s painful, and (2) I could pretty much predict what they’d say about her. So I’m not surprised when Val replies with, “A little over a year… during college? Wow, you two were basically engaged, then! As far as sapphics go, anyway.”

I sigh. “Yeah. We had all these plans of what we were going to do after graduation. And then she just… disappeared one day.”

Kiara grasps my arm, a pitying look on her face.

I turn away, refocusing on the menu. “Anyway, our school has one of the best photography programs in the country, and I’m sure a lot of alumni stay in state afterward, so it could be anyone, really.”

“For your sake, I hope the photographer they hired is gay,” Val remarks. “Like, even if she’s not your ex. You deserve a sexy rebound.”

I snort. “I’m not looking to date anyone anytime soon.” The guy in front of me finishes ordering, so I add, “Right now, the only hot thing making my heart flutter is a smoky barbecue sandwich.”

Kiara and Val laugh, and I wink at them before placing an order for the true love of my life.

2: Gemma

My resolve to stay single and focus on myself lasts for two weeks, until I walk in on James making out with one of my coworkers in the printer room.